Cyber threats are real and those have the potential to cause an adverse impact on an organization or individual. It is time to accept that without any hesitation.
Anyone who has not been living under a rock will be well aware of the whirlwind transformation that is taking place in the digital world. That has also opened up newer avenues for hackers, who are also making use of the latest technologies to unleash sophisticated attacks.
Hardly a day passes without news of an attempted cyber-attack. And, this has multiplied manifold with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic as people have started working from home and organizations’ security perimeter has undergone massive alteration.
Every organization has critical assets that ensure their smooth functioning and it is important for them to safeguard those assets and have cyber security measures in place. They need to analyse their security posture and enable cyber situational awareness solutions. That would allow them to have complete visibility over their network and also have the tools for network detection and response.
However, at the same time, individuals and the workforce also play a very significant role in any organization achieving cyber resilience.
It is necessary to understand and acknowledge that anyone can be a victim of a cyber-attack and the attitude that nothing would happen to me is extremely perilous.
Here are seven important cyber security tips for users:
- Awareness and training: Like in every sphere of life, knowledge is also important to understand the cyber threats and, thereby, take proper preventive measures. Undergoing a training module or doing a course on cyber security certainly helps in generating cyber situational awareness.
- Spot and don’t fall prey: Attempts of phishing attacks are everywhere. One needs to be extremely alert, and suspicious at the same time, on receiving emails or messages with attractive offers, discounts or job opportunities. It is advisable not to click on any link without being absolutely sure of it.
- Secure internet and devices: Employees should always carry out their office work on devices provided by the company and also use VPN when working from home. No one else should use or have access to the office devices. Multi-factor authentication is another critical aspect while it is better to avoid public Wi-Fi.
- Approved clouds: Sharing and storing of information on the cloud should be done only on applications approved and authorized by the company.
- Passwords: It is a very bad practice to have the same password for different accounts and also create passwords that are related to any individual’s life. That makes it extremely easy for hackers to crack the code. Passwords should ideally be a mixture of alphabets, numbers and special characters and should be unrelated to the user. Mobiles should be protected with strong passwords, patterns, pins or fingerprints.
- Software updates: It is always good to ensure that the software is updated and the latest patch installed. However, refrain from updating software on public Wi-Fi. The use of antivirus and firewalls on devices and keeping them updated is also part of proper cyber hygiene.
- Related issues: It is dangerous to keep computers or laptops unattended in a car. Also, the computer should be locked every time a user is stepping away.
The users are an extremely integral part of the cyber security cycle and they can benefit themselves and also the organizations by diligently following the measures discussed above.